9 Forbidden Words and Phrases

Ever wonder why the English word for “bear” sounds nothing like the Latin word?ursusor the Greek wordarktosAccording to Ralph Keyes’sEuphemania: Our Love Affair with Euphemismsthe oldest known euphemism was the Proto-Germanicbeornearly Northern Europeans used "beorn" a thousand years ago instead of the “real” name for a bear, which is literally "the brown one".

People feared uttering their equivalent of "bear" might summon them.Online Etymology DictionaryThe dictionary claims the “blood-thirsty beast that shall not be named,” so fear was common. The Irish called it "the good calf," the Welsh called it the "honey-pig," the Lithuanians called it "the licker," and the Russians saidmedvedor"honey-eater."

This section addresses fear of writingwritingThe fear of syphilis was strong in the 15th and 16th centuries, according to Paul Chrystal’sIn Bed with the Ancient Greeksdoctors used the Greek lettersigmadoctors used sigma as a symbol for syphilis because writing the word might evoke it.

Syphilis, or “Σ”, is named after a mythological shepherd named Syphilus who wascursed by the god Apollo with a dread disease.Even modern medical textbooks, like David Allison and Dr. Nicola Strickland’s

Even modern medical textbooks (such as David Allison and Dr. Nicola Strickland’sAcronyms and Synonyms in Medical Imagingstudents still advise the possible use of “Σ” instead of the word syphilis.

Unless you rehearse or performMacbethsaying "Macbeth" in a theater brings bad luckat least, and outright disaster at worst.Actors believe the play is cursed due to its history; two different actors died on stage while performing it. The play also became the center of adeadly riot.Some think Shakespeare was cursed by witches offended by the play, or that the playwright put real spells into the witches' dialogue.

If youmustallude to Macbeth in a theater, call it "the Scottish play" instead.

Urban legend says looking in a candlelit mirror and chanting "Bloody Mary" repeatedly causes an apparition to appear.Bloody Mary" repeatedly, an apparition appears in the mirror. What you see changes, but most agree a woman appears and does something terrifying. An older myth said young, unmarried women could see their future husbands in a mirror while holding a candle. In Japan, a similar legend involvesHanako-san, a young girl who appears in school bathroom mirrors when students call her name.

Scientists suggest staring into a dimly lit mirror and chanting can cause hallucinations or self-hypnosis—a more likely, less spooky, reason for this effect.

Sir James George Frazer’s classic comparative religion bookThe Golden BoughA custom among Australian Aboriginal people strictly forbids uttering the name of the recently deceased. This is a gross violation of their most sacred prejudices; it might also call a ghost.

Frazer’s colleague once shouted a dead man’s name without knowing. One man in the tribe ran away and stayed hidden for days. The power of evil spirits seems strong; the dead become "the lost ones" until "Couit-gil, the spirit of the departed," leaves, heading toward the setting sun.

In South America, Frazer reports that among the Goajiros of Colombia, mentioning the dead before relatives is a terrible offense often resulting in death.

Thespians know wishing an actor "good luck" before a show is bad luck. Instead, say "Say 'break a leg'.Some believe this superstition happens because theater spirits cause the opposite of what you say to occur.

This is a variation of the...The evil eye., an idea shared by cultures everywhere: wishing for luck or boasting about fortune curses you. Thus, people should wish for bad things or criticize blessings out loud instead.

Roughly 1,000 residents of Papua New Guinea's Madang Province linguist Bernard Comrie says, are forbidden in their Haruai language to say the names of cross-cousins—children of one’s father’s sister or mother’s brother—or in-laws. Breaking this rule could make the person sick or "cause one’s crops to fail."

Avoiding this taboo is hard. Haruai names often match ordinary words. If an in-law has a name meaning "mountain," for instance, you must find a substitute or euphemism to avoid tempting fate.

Judaism holds that the true name of God is YHWH, sometimes spelled or pronounced Yahweh or Jehovah. But the This is the true...pronunciation of the name has been lost, likely because People simply stopped saying it..

In daily speech, Orthodox Jews call God HaShem, or "The Name." Many Orthodox Jews also avoid writing God's name, choosing to write "G-d." instead. This is done because it is seen as a form of "Taking the Lord's name in vain.," which is not cool: "Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death." That is Leviticus 24:10-16.

Beliefs about "uttering the Name of Heaven uselessly" vary. Since it is one of the Ten Commandments, most practicing Jews and Christians of all groups take it seriously.

Some religious beliefs state that Lilith.Adam's first wife was Lilith. She refused to submit to him, so he cast her out of the Garden of Eden.This is the Munich Manual of Demonic Magic.This text gives steps to build the Mirror of Lilith, also called "Lylet." After building the mirror to the exact specs, you must write magic words on it. Then, say the spell words: "I conjure you, Lylet, and your companions..." Warning: Conjuring Lilith lets her cause disaster.

Various religious texts, like the anonymous medieval text, state this.This is the Alphabet of Ben Sirah.Lilith is, as stated byThe Straight Dope.She is a she-demon. She remains "the night demon," a vengeful spirit known as "The Howling One." This spirit wails through the night, a plea for her to leave ("Lilith - abi!" or "Lilith - begone!")—this might be the origin of the word "lullaby." A 12th-century Jewish mysticism book describes this.The Zohar.The Zohar calls her the "Angel of Death" or "Wife of Satan."